(Newser)
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Northrop Grumman’s latest aircraft isn’t just a drone—nor is it only designed for manned flight. The Firebird, set for unveiling today, can do both with just a few modifications, the Los Angeles Times reports. From 30,000 feet in the air, the spy plane can eavesdrop on phone chats, capture live video, and use radar. “Unmanned aircraft is taking on increasingly difficult missions. However, in the fog of war, there are still situations where you need a pilot's instinct inside the cockpit,” says an aerospace analyst. It’s not a military commission, but Northrop expects government interest.

Having one plane that can do both could lower maintenance personnel and spare parts costs. It’s “highly affordable because of the number of different missions it can accomplish during a single flight,” says a Northrop rep, calling it “a real game-changer”—no word on how much a Firebird would cost, though. With a top speed of 230mph, the Firebird can fly for up to 40 hours at once—and though it’s chiefly intended as a spy plane, it can also be outfitted with missiles, Northrop says.

I have wondered for a couple of years about this conversion. It seems clear that the drones we see are large enough to accomodate a pilot. Here's a prediction: Soon, after there are a couple of generations of different kinds of unmanned aircraft on the scene, we will see these in "surplus" like we used to have military choppers. You will be able to purchase kits to convert drones to piloted planes. They have tremendous stamina and could be used as long distance transportation for general aviation. Just a guess. What do YOU think?

Buckshot

May 10, 2011 12:18 PM CDT

It's time to stop the spending on the military, a trillion here a trillion there wtf?

Shmeh

May 9, 2011 6:29 PM CDT

We'll start seeing more news stories about rogue pilots bombing this or kamakaze-ing into that. The over-thinkers will say "he would never have done that, someone must have been controlling the drone" and the non-thinkers will respond "that's not the official story, the pilot was crazy, you're a conspiracist nutjob."